What does it mean to exist in complex relationships with machines? What insights can be offered to our understandings of these relationships by the theologically significant theme of ‘love’? What critical assessments can be made of our multiple uses of technologies in shaping our futures, by reflecting on our pasts?

Disquiet over the prevalence of social and economic individualism has a long history. In a world of mobile Capital and increasingly mobile people, communities of common tradition and locality appear to be under threat from the advent of a fragmented market society. Are these complaints against individualism justified? And crucially, how should Christians respond to them? Digging down into the substance of these questions, this project will consider the theological, liturgical and scriptural resources Christians have for understanding the notion of individualism in relation to issues of education, public life and the formation of democratic citizenship.

Stefan Skrimshire (LTI Honorary research fellow) was recently invited to speak at an Interfaith Forum on Sustainability for religious leaders and policy makers at Lambeth Palace. Jointly organised by Shrinking the Footprint (The Church of England national environmental campaign) and the London School of Jewish Studies, attendees and visitors included the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr. Rowan Williams, Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks and Lord Marland, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Department of Energy & Climate Change.

Stefan's presentation, using a short clip from the LTI film, Beyond the Tipping Point?,was on the subject of “the theological bases of environmental stewardship”. The talk reflected on the language of apocalypse, time and eschatology in relation to climate change tipping points and what these meant for environmental stewardship.